Dispatch

10:00A.M

Sitting on the fifth floor of the Watson library all alone.  I just had my first class this semester, and it definitely got me thinking.  The class is called "Introduction to Leadership", and my first impressions aren't too good.  You always feel like there's an insurmountable hill ahead of you on syllabus day.  The instructor tries to make a strong first impression, and the result generally makes you feel intimidated.

These last three days in Lawrence have been very odd.  I have not communicated face-to-face with another human being outside of the occasional "Hello" or "What's good?" to friends I see on campus.  This hasn't really been by design or a choice, but it's been beneficial as I prepare my mind for this semester.  I've had a chance to ready myself for the 16-week storm.  Right now, as I sit here, I am exiting the calm of this storm. One of the few ways you can successfully weather the storm is through inner peace, endless concentration, and a keen sense of awareness.

The transition back to Lawrence has been interesting to say the least.  Everywhere I go, I hear girls who pepper their sentences with "like" and"I feel like".  I'm not judging the way they speak, but it's certainly a shock to come here after I've spent the last month in the company of well-spoken parents who choose their language carefully and thoughtfully.

I saw in the Wall Street Journal that a suicide attacker detonated a bomb in Russia's busiest airport and killed 31 people including himself.  It's yet another instance of individuals using violence instead of words to make their point.  It seems that for every step forward that we make as a society towards pacifism and peace, there is one step backwards that obstructs our progress.  With current events in mind, I am looking forward to the State of the Union Address on Tuesday.  The pundits should be in full stride afterwords, especially on FOX News.  It's always interesting to flip back and forth between FOX and the liberal mainstream media after a huge event.  The perspectives differ so much that you'd think there had been two State of the Union Addresses for instance.

You see a lot of know-it-alls on a college campus.  Knowledge is a good thing, but it's important to know when to effectively use it.  Putting on a display of knowledge for the sake of showing off doesn't impress me much.  If you've got a PhD, don't think you knock everyone's socks off by reeling off a lecture that contains a couple hundred ten-dollar words.  What's far more impressive is being humble about your accolades and accomplishments as well as being able to explain things clearly and succinctly.

Thanks,

Joe